I sometimes struggle when I write this column because I want it to be inspiring but I’m tempted to make it informational. I don’t want to bog us down in the weeds of church business and yet the church is the body of Christ and though it belongs to God it is up to the congregation to conduct its affairs. So…here are some things you ought to know.

I want you to know that Rev. Mike Graves is not “gone” but simply on a 6-week sabbatical, writing a book that he will begin sharing with us this Spring. When Mike returns to us Feb. 16, he will be half-time instead of full-time. You may not notice as he will still teach and preach but will not oversee committees (he isn’t sad about that!).

And I want you to get to know Bryce Bowers, our newest clergy person, who began Jan. 15 as Executive Minister. In many ways, his job is like the position I held when Glen Miles was senior minister. Bryce will oversee the operational life of the church: finance, building, technology, and administration. Bryce will also lead the spiritual growth of adults through small groups, membership development, young adults, and a myriad of special events. Three of our 5-year strategic goals are directly tied to Bryce’s ministry area.

And then I remember that when the first pages of the Christian Bible were penned, they often included mundane facts about the church, as in “thank you for the offering; soon my assistant apostle will visit your church again; stop quarreling about worship practices”. Paul writes many letters to the early churches (Corinthians, Philippians, Romans, and more) and as he teaches them about what it means to follow Christ, he intersperses church business. Someone has to update the database and varnish the front door and plant the tulip bulbs and change the batteries in the smoke detectors. The truth is that God’s miracles are mixed up with the mundane.

In your own life, it is true as well. God’s joyful presence may be felt at the family dinner table, but someone had to buy the groceries and chop the carrots. We pray “thank you God” when a sister’s cancer goes into remission, but the doctors and nurses administered the chemo. We feel God’s holy mystery at the depth of our souls while standing on a mountain in Colorado but someone preserved the forest and dug the trail so we could hike up to this vista.

The miracles of God’s love and grace unfold through our most mundane and ordinary actions.

Grace and Peace,

Carla